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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. game — a match
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. present — the time now
  9. game — wild animals
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — in cards
  12. key — in music
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. present — there
  18. suit — clothes
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. present — a gift
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bowl — a football final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com